It's not every day you beat a double world champion for the first time. But last month, at the Standja Cup, I squeezed past China's Ren Cancan 12-11 on points. It was a battle of minds as much as fists, and the fight was level going into the last round, but I did what I had to do. I won. And the feeling afterwards was fantastic: confidence coarsed through my veins, my adrenaline levels shot skyward, and I felt like an unstoppable force. I ended up winning the tournament, which moves me up to second place in the world rankings, and yet, and yet …

The truth is, I'm in a fantastic position. I know that. Training full-time at the English Institute of Sport is going brilliantly and I'm now turning silvers into gold. But I'm also keeping my feet firmly on the ground. I know I have to stay humble and keep my focus. My goal for 2012 is to go all the way in London. But the fact is, I've not even qualified for the Games yet. Everything will boil down to the world championships in May, where I have to reach at least the quarter-finals. My world ranking – and thus high-seeding – should make the draw a little easier in theory, but I'm not sure that will be the case. Every opponent I meet will be at their peak and seeing me as a 5ft 3in-sized obstacle to glory at London. One big punch, stray elbow, unlucky injury or a sudden bout of sickness could derail my chances.

True, there might be a wildcard available if things don't go as planned but that's not something I can rely on. I want to prove that I can repeatedly beat the very best in the world and I'm desperate to make London 2012. To be honest, even if I broke my leg Hopalong Adams would still probably head over to China to try to qualify!

Now I will head to the Czech Republic for my last tournament before the world championships after a training block that has been amazing. All boxes have been covered and ticked. Every day from Monday to Thursday I've been getting up at 7am to go running with my team-mates at the English Institute of Sport – intervals, sprints, up those steep Sheffield hills, or merely for distance – it varies by the day. Then mid-afternoon we have an hour strength and conditioning session that consists of bodyweight and free weights. Again, this varies by the day and week. And then in the evening we do a couple of hours of boxing work: pads, sparring, technique. So, all in all we train four to five hours a day before I head back to my home gym on Friday. All the Team GB boxers – male and female – train together and while boxing is an individual sport, we have a real strong team bond.

When it comes to sparring, I do go in the ring with the boys but most people don't realise that when we spar we are mainly just practising. They're not trying to take my head off! When I was younger I had a few gym wars, but I've never had a black eye or a bust lip. And nor do I have a classic boxer's nose. The worst I've suffered is a fractured knuckle and a broken thumb. I guess I'm elusive in the ring! That said, I always remember my first boxing coach telling me that, just because it's boxing doesn't mean you have to be hit. It's a mantra that's served me well ever since.